New King James Version
Isaiah 49:23
23Kings shall be your foster fathers, And their queens your nursing mothers; They shall bow down to you with their faces to the earth, And lick up the dust of your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord, For they shall not be ashamed who wait for Me.”
Isaiah 49:23 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.
- New International Version (NIV)Kings will be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. They will bow down before you with their faces to the ground; they will lick the dust at your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who hope in me will not be disappointed.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)Kings shall be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. With their faces to the ground they shall bow down to you, and lick the dust of your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who wait for me shall not be put to shame."
- New Living Translation (NLT)Kings and queens will serve you and care for all your needs. They will bow to the earth before you and lick the dust from your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord. Those who trust in me will never be put to shame.”
Context of Isaiah 49:23
21Then you will say in your heart, ‘Who has begotten these for me, Since I have lost my children and am desolate, A captive, and wandering to and fro? And who has brought these up? There I was, left alone; But these, where were they?’ ” 22Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I will lift My hand in an oath to the nations, And set up My standard for the peoples; They shall bring your sons in their arms, And your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders; Kings shall be your foster fathers, And their queens your nursing mothers; They shall bow down to you with their faces to the earth, And lick up the dust of your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord, For they shall not be ashamed who wait for Me.” 24Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, Or the captives of the righteous be delivered? 25But thus says the Lord: “Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, And the prey of the terrible be delivered; For I will contend with him who contends with you, And I will save your children.
Read all of Isaiah 49Isaiah 49:23 word by word
וְהָי֨וּ מְלָכִ֜ים אֹֽמְנַ֗יִךְ וְשָׂרֽוֹתֵיהֶם֙ מֵינִ֣יקֹתַ֔יִךְ אַפַּ֗יִם אֶ֚רֶץ יִשְׁתַּ֣חֲווּ לָ֔ךְ וַעֲפַ֥ר רַגְלַ֖יִךְ יְלַחֵ֑כוּ וְיָדַ֙עַתְּ֙ כִּֽי־אֲנִ֣י יְהוָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹֽא־יֵבֹ֖שׁוּ קוָֹֽי׃ סRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And kingsמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
- shall be thy nursing fathersאָמַן'âman · be faithfulH539
- and their queensשָׂרָהώârâh · princessH8282
- thy nursing mothersיָנַקyânaq · to suckleH3243
- they shall bow downשָׁחָהshâchâh · to bowH7812
- faceאַף'aph · faceH639
- toward the earthאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: soilH776
- and lick upלָחַךְlâchak · to lickH3897
- the dustעָפָר‛âphâr · dustH6083
- of thy feetרֶ֫גֶלregel · footH7272
- and thou shalt knowיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
- the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- for they shall not be ashamedבּוֹשׁbûsh · be ashamedH954
- that waitקָוָהqâvâh · to awaitH6960
Cross-references for Isaiah 49:23
- Isaiah 49:7Thus says the Lord, The Redeemer of Israel, their Holy One, To Him whom man despises, To Him whom the nation abhors, To the Servant of rulers: “Kings shall see and arise, Princes also shall worship, Because of the Lord who is faithful, The Holy One of Israel; And He has chosen You.”
- Isaiah 52:15So shall He sprinkle many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths at Him; For what had not been told them they shall see, And what they had not heard they shall consider.
- Isaiah 60:3The Gentiles shall come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising.
- Isaiah 62:2The Gentiles shall see your righteousness, And all kings your glory. You shall be called by a new name, Which the mouth of the Lord will name.
- Ezra 1:2Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah.
- Ezra 6:7Let the work of this house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this house of God on its site.
- Ezra 7:11This is a copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave Ezra the priest, the scribe, expert in the words of the commandments of the Lord, and of His statutes to Israel:
- Nehemiah 2:6Then the king said to me (the queen also sitting beside him), “How long will your journey be? And when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.
- Esther 8:1On that day King Ahasuerus gave Queen Esther the house of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had told how he was related to her.
- Esther 9:1Now in the twelfth month, that is, the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day, the time came for the king’s command and his decree to be executed. On the day that the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, the opposite occurred, in that the Jews themselves overpowered those who hated them.
- Esther 10:1And King Ahasuerus imposed tribute on the land and on the islands of the sea.
- Psalms 2:10Now therefore, be wise, O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
- Psalms 68:31Envoys will come out of Egypt; Ethiopia will quickly stretch out her hands to God.
- Psalms 72:10The kings of Tarshish and of the isles Will bring presents; The kings of Sheba and Seba Will offer gifts.
- Psalms 138:4All the kings of the earth shall praise You, O Lord, When they hear the words of Your mouth.
- Revelation 21:24And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it.
Commentaries on Isaiah 49:23
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 23With their face toward the earth "With their faces to the earth" - It is well known that expressions of submission, homage, and reverence always have been and are still carried to a great degree of extravagance in the eastern countries. When Joseph's brethren were introduced to him, "they bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth," Genesis 42:6. The kings of Persia never admitted any one to their presence without exacting this act of…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 23And kings shall be thy nursing fathers - Margin, Nourishers.‘ That is, they would patronize the church of God; they would protect it by their laws, and foster it by their influence and become the personal advocates of the cause of Zion. The idea is properly that of guarding, educating, and proriding for children; and the sense is that kings and princes would evince the same tender care for the interests of the people of God which a parent or a nurse does…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 18-23Verses 18-23 Zion is addressed as an afflicted widow, bereaved of her children. Numbers flock to her, and she is assured that they come to be a comfort to her. There are times when the church is desolate and few in number; yet its desolations shall not last for ever, and God will repair them. God can raise up friends for returning Israelites, even among Gentiles. They shall bring their children, and make them thy children. Let all deal tenderly and…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 23you will know that I am the LORD: The surprising role reversal, with kings and queens serving the humble exiles upon their return, will show God's power to do the unimaginable (see also Isaiah 60:16). The godly will face temporary disgrace during the exile in Babylon but would not ultimately be put to shame, as the idolaters and ungodly were.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2323. lick ... dust--that is, kiss thy feet in token of humble submission. for they ... not ... ashamed ... wait for me--The restoration of Israel shall be in answer to their prayerful waiting on the Lord (Is 30:18, 19; Psa 102:16, 17; Zec 12:10; 14:3).Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 49:23
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Isaiah 49
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries